I’m definitely not as in love with this series as I am with her other ones. However I think this is series is a fun summer read series and I did enjoy reading it.

In Good Girl Complex, I absolutely adored Evan and couldn’t wait for his own story. I loved his friendship with Mac, and those were the heart strings that tugged in the sequel as well. They had this mutual understanding and just a genuine friendship that didn’t serve a purpose other than just being there for one another. Bad Girl Reputation centers around second chances, redemption, forgiveness, and growing up.

In our first person, dual POV story - Bad Girl Reputation follows Evan and Genevieve. Genevieve had skipped town a year ago, but after her mom’s sudden death - she finds herself back in town but trying not to fall back into her old habits. That includes her on and off again ex boyfriend, Evan. Evan was a mess while Gen was gone (as we saw in Good Girl Complex) and he realizes how destructive him and Gen are with her guidance. They both work on trying to become better versions of themselves, growing up after being together since 7th grade.

I will say that the way that Gen treated Evan frustrated me a ton, but I think that’s kind of the point. We got to see both of their characters grow over the course of the book - but I still feel like Evan deserved more. That’s probably just my protective instinct, but we end up with our happily ever after - so that should be all that matters.

Looks like I'm in the minority here, but I couldn't love this book. Was I captivated and rushing through? Absolutely. But did I also feel horrible about loving the drama of an absolutely toxic relationship? Yes. The writing and the characters are great. But also super toxic, as is the whole relationship. I'm glad that they were able to figure themselves out, but I also couldn't get behind him not hearing her requests to not do something stupid and thinking how quickly this could escalate to something horrible and dangerous in real life. And for that reason, I dropped a star.

Elle Kennedy does it again! I have loved all her books and this one is no exception.
You can feel the love that Genevieve and Evan have for each other in everything they do no matter if they are trying to stay away from each other or not. I absolutely devoured the flirting plus the banter between the two of them and the spice is even better! Being able to hear from characters in the first book was perfectly balanced with the new storyline in this book. I love when a strong independent FMC gets pared with the golden retriever bad boy.
The evolution of each of these characters and of their relationship as a whole is why I will always pick up an Elle Kennedy book.

Uhm, ok loved this. I really enjoy Elle Kennedy's writing and was so excited for book two of the Avalon Day series. I was NOT disappointed at all.

Gen and Evan were both flawed characters that were trying to become better and had really lovely development throughout the story. There were some conflicts that I thought were unnecessary, but over all I enjoyed the relationship and pacing of the story!

I would highly recommend this book and Good Girl Complex to romance readers and am already looking forward to book three!!

I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series and was hoping the next would focus on Evan. You can definitely read each of these as a stand-alone, but you will miss backstory if you read this one first - and honestly the first was a better book too so don't skip it. I enjoyed getting both Genevieve and Evan’s points of view, you could see the internal struggles within them both regarding the same situations. It helped that I adored both of them the whole book and was rooting for each of them separately and hopefully together.The way family dynamics were brought in, added so much to the story. Not only were you getting a spicy romance you were getting family issues, past behavior consequences, and overall just a good story
Thank you o St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin &NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this arc

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5
Spice: 🌶🌶 2/5


Tropes/Subjects:
Childhood friends to Lovers ✔️
Second Chance Romance✔️
Small Beach Town Romance ✔️
Dual POV ✔️

G E N E V I E V E
I 👏🏽 APPLAUD 👏🏽 Y👏🏽O👏🏽U 👏🏽 GEN! She knew her life as it was, was destined for destruction and she decided to be the one that said "FXCK THAT! I'll be MORE than my reputation & I'll come out stronger" & she fxckn did! Was it hard? of course, that shit isn't easy even IRL but she handled it & her character development?! Chef's kiss😘

" 'Why are you punishing yourself for caring about me?' (Evan)
'I've just decided to start caring about myself more.' "

TELL ME THAT ISN'T QUEEEENNNN SHIT!!!


E V A N H A R T L E Y
cause you know my boy sounds soooooo much more like a bad boy when you put his whole name together! ok, look before I get into this.. FULL DISCLOSURE I love me some bad boys.. but who doesn't right?

A bad boy in love with a bad girl

1. Evan was SOOOO smitten with Gen from the beginning of time, that he KNEW & without a SINGLE DOUBT IN HIS MIND that he & Gen were endgame. & WE LOVE A SELF ASSURED KINGGGGG!

"Even saying her name gets my heart beating faster and fills me with anticipation. I think about her even a little, and I become impatient for the next time I can see her."

3. The minute he KNEW he had to change as well, not for GEN but for HIM. DUDE?! I KNEELED! 🧎🏻‍♀️

Let me tell you something, though, that I've started to figure out myself: If the change is going to stick, you have to want it to. That means doing it for yourself, not only because you're trying to impress someone else. Change, or don't. Either way, you're the one who's got to live with the result."

Did he have some flaws? Yes, but I tend to ignore those like I do red flags 🤷🏻‍♀️


Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for Bad Girl Reputation after reading Good Girl Complex. But the two.. DO NOT COMPARE. This book reminded me of the Elle Kennedy I fell for when I first read her stories like, Briar U, Off Campus, & Him. & THAT'S the Elle Kennedy, I'll continue to read.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

"Bad Girl Reputation" by Elle Kennedy is the second book in the Avalon Bay series, a second chance romance with pasts and futures intertwining leaving two people to face if who they are together is worse than who they could be together.

"Change, or don’t. Either way, you’re the one who’s got to live with the result.”

I am genuinely surprised by how much I liked this book. GGC was legit one of the worst books I have ever read EVER, but this book made up for it. (I have yet to decide if this book was only good because Good Girl Complex was that wholly unbearable, but I'd probably say the latter). The sexual tension was enjoyable, but it was really fast for a second-chance romance. She gets back in town, and they rehash old feelings, which isn't unrealistic when you have so much history, but the history is almost outlined in bullet points. I wish they explored a little bit more of Gen's life in Charleston and how Evan was when she left. It seemed like a plot point that was just there but wasn't. This happened a lot when going through the different events from Kayla and Randall, even Evan and Shelley's reconciliation. I am impartial as to whether this is 3.5 stars or 4.

ANYWAYS, RILEY CARRIED THIS STORY <3

Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Past & Some Present Alcohol & Drug Use/Abuse, Mentions of Past SH.
(*Additional Warnings May Be Added Depending On What I Remember Over Time)

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Genevieve and Evan have been best friends since they were in grade school. This obviously leads to them falling in love, but they seem toxic for each other. Gen eventually leaves town after an issue with a local cop. She up and goes without saying a word to Evan. When Gen returns to Avalon Bay for her mother's funeral all those feelings, good and bad, start rushing back for both of them.

This is the second book in the Avalon Bay series, the first follows Evan's twin brother Cooper. It was definitely hinted at in the first book that Evan and Gen would be the next couple we got a glimpse at.

Gen and Evan's story was cute, but it wasn't anything super stand out for me. Not a ton of spice and I didn't find myself needing to pick it up and read it.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a fun time.

I loved the first book in this “series” duology whatever. And this was even better. I love a messy, isn’t always perfect mc and this gave me 2. I absolutely love Evan, his POVs were my favorite, we love a man who falls first and harder.

I’m usually not the biggest fan of second chance romances but this was done so well. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for an easy rom com with a pinch of plot.

Gen is convinced to keep her distance from her ex Evan, when she goes back home for her mom's funeral. However, it is impossible to not run into him and not manage to fall in love all over again.

Honestly, it was a bit too much. The bad girl persona was overbuilt and there was so much aggression in their chemistry. To be completely honest, no one really went out of their absolute way to avoid the other. Overall, what could have been a 100 page novella, ended up being a 300+ page novel.

Definitely not my cup of tea.

I went into this series very excited seeing how I've never read anything from this author but I've wanted too. Throughout reading book 1 and this book I seriously got After by Anna Todd vibes. The men were so broody and stubborn and hard headed. Felt kind of unoriginal to me. Again I understand that it is hard to write a unique book seeing how it feels like most types of characters you can write have been overdone. It was a good book and I'm glad I was lucky enough to receive this arc and I did enjoy reading this.

Romance

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I really didn't like the characters that much.

Genevieve returns home for her mother's funeral. She left town the year prior because she had been accosted by a copy over her bad behavior. She realized that she needed to get herself cleaned up and find a way to create a life that didn't land her in trouble constantly. When she took off she didn't really tell anyone and left her boyfriend Evan without any explanations. Now, she's back and trying to deny that she an Evan have anything more than physical chemistry.

Parts of their story is so sweet. They were friends first as pre-teens and then eventually took the relationship to another level. The problem is that they tend to dare each other into making bad decisions and neither one has really gotten their lives straightened out.

Seeing Gen's changes makes Evan want to change and be someone she can see a future with and I loved that part of the story. Evan's inner monologue and dialogue with Gen was very immature and all centered around their chemistry.

I just didn't love this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

I love a book that you can read for just enjoyment and just lay back relax and jump into other people's problems!

I definitely understand why this is so hit and miss for people because the main characters can be annoyihn at times but I think if you let that go and just focus on how they handle those issues between each other it becomes enjoyable to read. I think Gen and Evan had amazing chemistry and at the end of the day, what more could I want from a feel good book.

Overall, it was a great quick read that I really liked!!


thank you, st. martins press, for the ARC!

"Change is a choice we make every day, a thousand times a day. We choose to do this one thing better. Then the next. And the next."

While I didn't particularly enjoy Good Girl Complex I really wanted to read about Evan & Gen's relationship. Evan was introduced in Good Girl Complex as the identical twin to its male lead Cooper, but we only heard about Gen because of how her supposed actions affected Evan and influenced his dickish behaviour, so I was very interested to get more of a backstory on their past. Unfortunately, what we get is a very toxic second-chance romance between a girl trying to shed her party-girl image and live a sober life and a guy who can't take 'no' for an answer and doesn't believe that his supposed 'best friend' is being genuine in wanting to change her ways.

"Evan and I have always had this tension between us. Pushing and pulling. Making each other jealous and manipulating a response. It's all part of the bad habits I'm trying to break. Yet, in doing so, I'm repeating the steps."

I think I may be ageing out of enjoying Elle Kennedy because I just found it, overall, to be quite juvenile. And yes, comparatively, 22 is young, but their actions (Evan's more so) were so immature. I also didn't appreciate that Gen kept stringing along Harrison knowing full-well that their relationship was going nowhere while she still had feelings (and kept hooking up with!!) Evan. That was totally unfair.

Everything wrapped up much to quickly and neatly, throwing up happy resolutions between so many intertwining relationships, it was a bit of an eye-roll. I won't be continuing with the series after this.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Elle Kennedy is the queen of writing fast paced contemporary romance novels. I haven’t read the first of this series yet, but that was no problem at all. The important bits were covered. I loved to watch the dynamic of Gen and Evan. Evan realizing he needed to change for himself and not just for Gen really sold me on his character. Every time Evan’s mom came around, I was on the edge of my seat. I can’t wait for the next installment! Now to go back and read about Cooper and Mac.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Elle Kennedy for the ARC!

Bad Girl Reputation is the follow up novel to Good Girl Complex. Evan is Cooper’s twin brother and Genevieve is the one that got away…..or ran away more precisely.

Evan is in constant trouble all his life so when his on again/off again girlfriend disappears he kind of spirals a little bit and can’t get out of his head. A year later she’s back because of her mothers death and it almost feels like she never left, but time has passed and they are not the same people. This book is a lot about growth and learning from past mistakes. They aren’t kids anymore so it’s time to grow up and become something more and they do.

Bad Girl Reputation by Elle Kennedy is the second installment within the Avalon Bay series. Although you don’t need to read Good Girl Complex beforehand, as the series contains interconnected standalones, I encourage it to get a better sense of some of the minor characters and the community of Avalon Bay.

In this second-chance, small town summer romance, we follow Cooper’s twin, Evan, and his ex-girlfriend, Genevieve. Gen is back in town after a year away and desperate to avoid her on-again-off-again ex-boyfriend. On a transformative path to better herself, falling back into Evan means falling back into her “bad girl” ways. But Gen seems to be the one thing Evan can’t–and won’t–quit. He doesn’t know why Gen left a year ago, only that it broke his heart. Now he’s determined to find out what happened and to make sure she doesn’t leave town–and him–again.

Typical to most Elle Kennedy books, the angst and tension between the two was off-the-page and the banter had me constantly smiling. Despite enjoying the push and pull between the two of them, at times I felt their actions were juvenile and straight-up toxic. The drama was almost too much and became a little repetitive.

The character development was flawed in the sense that there was potential that I felt wasn’t met. The constant drama seemed to upend any strides forward and I wasn’t fully convinced this book would end in a happily-ever-after (don’t worry–it does). In the end, the characters are able to figure out who they need to be, for themselves and their partner, and find their way back to one another.

This was a quick, easy read that while sometimes frustrating, it was overall an enjoyable read. A few potential couples were introduced in this book and with the door open for more books in the series. I’m excited to see what Kennedy does next!

Quotes I liked:
"It’d be a shame if you let growing up dull your edges.”

This book was a good and entertaining read for me! Dare I say I prefer book 2 :) Genevieve and Evan had a lot of angst, but I think that really set the tone for the growth that they had throughout the book. I loved the second chance aspect and I am glad that I gave this one a shot!

I found this second book SOOO much better than the first one! I loved this second chance romance with two incredibly strong willed main characters. The characters are messy, make rash decisions, and really drive you insane... but that's the fun of it right?? I loved the spice in this, and it seemed to be the main focus, but that is what made it such a quick and mindless read.